There are many skills that students learn throughout their educational career. Among one of the most important skills that students will gain is the ability to write. They will not only learn the penmanship skills needed to physically put words on a paper, but they will learn how to communicate their thoughts and ideas using those words. Tony Wagner (2008) recognizes “effective oral and written communication” as one of seven survival skills needed to “thrive in the new world of work” (p. 21-22). Preparing students for the 21st century workforce is a both a personal focus and school-wide focus of my inner city high school. As a campus, we constantly work to provide students with opportunities to strengthen the skills outlined by Wagner. When test scores arrive we always fall short in one area: writing.
Nagging Problem The English department at my school works endlessly to improve the writing scores amongst our students, but we have not been successful since the English I and English II STAAR End of Course Exams were introduced in 2012. Compared to other high schools in our district, we have consistently scored the lowest with a passing rate of under 50%. This not only affects our school’s accountability, but personally affects many of the students I teach everyday. This year over 200 seniors are in jeopardy of not graduating if they don’t pass this exam when it is administered in the beginning of April. Of those students, I teach 17 who are terrified that they will not be
The real world’s standards are constantly evolving, growing ever more demanding on the public education system, yet despite this the primary indicator used for the success of the public education system is the high school graduation rate. The high school graduation rate is a deeply flawed statistic conceived many decades ago and hasn’t changed at all, failing to encompass better and broader definitions for public education system success. However, the focus on critical writing skills at New Dorp High School had the effect of dramatically increasing the school’s graduation rate from 63 percent before the “writing revolution” to 80 percent (Tyre). At face value the increase is a tremendous success, but just because a student can graduation high school does not mean they have the technical skills to prepare them for college or the workforce. A list of the fastest growing occupations in the United States provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics mostly includes jobs from the medical field or occupations that require
Instead of focusing on the different types of writing styles they will encounter in college and the workforce, most of the writing instruction students receive in their underclassman English courses at Carrizo Springs High School is primarily focused on preparation for the English Language Arts Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills Written Composition test, which has standards that are different than the outcomes they will be expected to accomplish in their dual credit English class and future college writing courses. Therefore, there must be a method implemented at Carrizo Springs High School and Southwest Texas Junior College to help students become more successful in dual credit English before they even step foot in that class. Students must understand that how they perform in that class will have an effect on their
When you start to think about it, quickly you realize that almost everything we do in life has some sort of writing around it. Whether it be sending a simple text message or writing a long essay we all have to have the common foundation of how to write. As students progress their way through high school we are often pounded with the rules of writing. By the time you get to be a upperclassman you quickly learn that your days of learning how to write are not over once you get to college. As someone who is looking to study Aeronautics at Liberty University, still, the days of learning to write are far from over. Because Liberty University requires students to participate in two writing based classes my skills will continue to be developed. Even
Undergraduate programs in recent years have become more and more specialized and there is a lack of diversity in the writing styles taught in writing classes. This has led to students being less prepared to enter the workplace and less qualified than the people who know the writing style of the specific job.
In Peg Tyre’s article, The Writing Evolution, he addresses how some students struggled with writing in schools and how more time needed to be spent on teaching the proper aspects of writing. In his article, Tyre mentions a specific high school that took large measures to figure out why their students were doing so poorly on english and writing exams. This particular high school, New Dorp, made a writing revolution in which they placed an intense focus across nearly every academic subject, teaching the skills that underlie good analytical writing (Tyre 4). They received extraordinary results. Pass rates for the English Regents, for example, bounced from 67 percent in June 2009 to 89 percent in 2011 (Tyre 4). The number of kids enrolling in a program that allowed them to take college-level classes shot up from 148 students in 2006 to 412 students in 2011 (Tyre 4).
Let's be honest, I'm not the best writer. I have had to write paper after paper for about 12 weeks. Writing isn’t my strong suit and I don't think it will ever be a strong suit of mine. During the 12 weeks of composition class, I have seen improvement in my writing. Many people don’t like writing but writing skills are needed in life. I'm a junior in high school and if I want to get scholarships for college, I'm going to need to write essays. Whether I become a plumber or a CEO I need writing skills.
Nearly all careers require some form of writing. Since writing is used in all fields and jobs, it is a skill that students and workers should learn and become better at. College writing improves a students’ ability to express themselves on paper and as a result, improves their communication of their thoughts. Writing and good writing skills are necessary in almost every career field, regardless of how thorough it may be. In college, students are prepared to write in the style for their future rofessions.
Logan Pearsall Smith once said, “Fine writers should split hairs together, and sit side by side, like friendly apes, to pick the fleas from each other’s fur.” All be it an overwhelmingly disgusting image, Smith’s words are true when it comes the art and science of putting pencil to paper. In the classroom, students should be able to be vulnerable, honest, accountable and “real” in their writing so that they may grow to become better writers. It is the responsibility of the teacher to insure a quality learning environment that is conducive to these three factors. Observing the writing process and identifying the experiences within, be them personal, direct or indirect, contribute to how the educator teaches students using best practices.
The skills needed to be successful in today's workforce have changed somewhat for the better and somewhat for the worse, depending on the job. At some places that people are hired it seems like they hardly have to have any skills in order to get the job. Other places require a lot of skills before someone can even be hired and certain degrees must be obtained and tests must be taken. Fast food restaurants, grocery stores, and other restaurants should be a lot more strict about the types of people that they hire. There are certain skills that are required to be successful while working today, and there are some extra skills needed in jobs that involve working with people. Depending on the job, some skills can be learned during college or training
Writing is a skill that is used on a daily basis in different mediums: emails, texts, academic papers, and social media platforms. While some mediums are more formal than others, writing in a proper way is still critical. For some, writing is second nature while others face difficulties constructing the perfect message. Growing up, the concept of writing was much more enjoyable than physically putting pen to paper. I found value in the idea of being able to express myself through my writing, yet when it came to academic papers, I froze. This was due to the fact that my writing was being judged, and that elicited fear which, in turn, made me second guess my writing abilities. While attending community college, I was required to take an
A learner’s ability to communicate effectively through writing to his/her target audiences is a major prerequisite for academic success. It is also a major pillar of success in one’s career across all areas of practice. Even though, writing clearly is critical to one’s academic and career success, I have not always loved writing. In fact, for a long time I despised writing. At one point, I had a feeling that my writings skills were bound to remain stagnated throughout my life. However, time has proven that I was wrong. My attitude and outlook towards virtually all genres of writing has changed positively. The various helpful methods I have been exposed to by my English teachers through different grades have helped me
Life is a cycle of learning and the dissemination of what we’ve learned. In each day of our lives we learn something new to add to our list of skills and knowledge. When I first entered university, I thought the writing courses were useless and just a waste of time since we all can write. Later, however, I realized how those courses are beneficial in improving our critical thinking and communication skills not only the style of writing.
As a freshman at Linden High School, I have learned that writing provides students with the necessary communication and thinking skills necessary to succeed in school. Before I enrolled in ACL, I was a lazy writer who detested every aspect of writing. Now, I have learned to embrace writing challenges and learn from my mistakes. Writing persuasive and research papers proved to be difficult for me because it required organizational and research skills. As the year progressed, I began feeling more confident in my writing skills and looked forward to expressing my ideas on paper. As a writer, I have gained the knowledge and tools to grow as a student.
I have always been pretty successful in school; however, writing has always been one of my greatest weaknesses. The overwhelming pressure of coming up with what to say and how to say it is extremely stressful for me, and I typically give up on perfecting whatever assignment I am working on. Up until high school, my writing had accomplished just enough to pass me on to the next course. My experience at Savannah Arts Academy, however, inspired me to approach writing in a completely new way.
High school students usually overestimate their college-readiness, particularly in terms of writing. An advisory committee of the National Writing Project